Cronan is angry. Angry that after years of waiting, he's mated to the one wolf he never wanted.
Fen is stuck. Stuck in a state of purgatory that he doesn't know how to escape from.
After learning of his mate's crimes, Cronan never expected to see h...
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I was sure the expression on my face was quite comical, but I didn't care as I stared down at the blue-eyed wolf, wondering why he was there.
"I know that's you. Don't try and trick me," I said quietly. I knew his scent well after our recent encounters.
The wolf's eyes shifted from me to the cabin I stood inside and I mentally sighed. I supposed it was only a matter of time before he put two and two together, but I was hoping it wouldn't be so soon.
"Stay here," I told him as I turned around and scrambled to find some clothes I thought would fit him. Once I was sure, I headed back to the window and handed them to him. "Shift."
For a brief second, I thought he was going to ignore me and take off, but he didn't. He accepted the articles of clothing, albeit a little reluctantly, and darted off behind a tree where I heard the cracks of his body beginning to change back. I went around and slipped out the front door while I waited for him to finish getting dressed. He reemerged not long after and for a second, I forgot about the gravity of the situation when I saw him in my clothes. My eyes lingered for longer than they should have, but I pulled myself together when I saw his expression.
"You're living here?" Cronan asked.
"Hello to you too," I greeted in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Fen," he said my name in almost a scolding manner. The way he stressed it almost made me think he was worried. Almost.
"Yes, I am temporarily staying here," I finally relented and told him.
His face twisted up in a way I couldn't quite understand. "Why? This place is on its last legs and could fall down at any second."
"Maybe I like the broken things," I replied and stared at the cabin.
"Do you like the afterlife too? Because that's where you're headed if you keep staying here," My eyes shifted back to him and his arms crossed over his chest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about the last time I'd seen him shirtless. "Why not rent a place? I'm sure being a gamma left you plenty of money saved up."
"Money is nothing if you can't use it," I said before I could stop myself.
He frowned. "What are you talking about? Even if you're a rogue you should still have access to your accounts."
Access wasn't the issue. Realistically, I could access my accounts whenever I wanted to. The issue was Nolan. While Nixon may have already known I was in Oakwood and was willing to ignore my presence, I knew it wouldn't be the same with Nolan. There was a chance he already knew I was in the town, but I wasn't willing to give him a trail to follow in order to find me. Nixon might've acted like I didn't exist for Eli's sake, but Nolan had no problem throwing me in a cell—I was sure of it.
